Over 30 years ago, three prisoners escaped from Alcatraz Island, AKA “The Rock,” a maximum-security federal prison in San Francisco Bay. They were never found. They could have been eaten by sharks. They could have gotten hypothermia in the 50-degree waters. They could have drowned. Or they could have survived. No one knows.

But this Sunday, June 4, the annual Accenture Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon 2006 kicks off with 1,800 of the world’s leading triathletes for an extreme sporting event of chilling proportions:
• A 1.5-mile swim from Alcatraz to the shore of Aquatic Park;
• An 18-mile bike race through the City; and
• A hilly, challenging 8-mile run through the rugged trails of Golden Gate Recreation Area.

My Uncle Benny swam this distance dozens of times when he belonged to the rugged Dolphin Swimming & Boating Club in San Francisco. His hardy buddies took daily dips in the Bay — without wetsuits or other body-warming protection against the frigid Pacific waters.